February 4, 2002

ATTENTION SWEETHEARTS, Cupid's day is coming up and it's time to plan something special. If you live in Sunol, a walk in the moonlight or cuddling in front of your fireplace might be perfect for Valentine's Day. If a romantic dinner is more your style, Sunol's Elliston Vineyards can fill the bill that evening, and all through the weekend.

On February 14, 15, and 16, Elliston is having Winetaster dinners, with one seating each evening at 7 p.m., starting with champagne and hors d'oeuvres. The event features a four-course dinner paired with Elliston wines. The first course is squash and roast quince soup, and the second is Atlantic salmon in phyllo with raspberry crème fraiche. Then comes a choice of rack of lamb, chicken Cordon Bleu or grilled Hawaiian swordfish, and dessert is bittersweet chocolate bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream. All this and the elegant ambiance of the historical mansion can be yours for $75 per person (tax and 18% gratuity additional).

For those who prefer to work off dinner on the spot, on February 16, from 6 to 10 p.m., the winery is offering a four-course dinner with rack of lamb or chicken Cordon Bleu in the Terrace Room, including champagne, hors d'oeuvres, a bottle of wine with dinner, and dancing to Musique Nonstop with Chris Monroe. The cost is $65 plus tax and tip. To make reservations, please call the Elliston events office at 925-862-2377.

WASHINGTON BOUND: This year's annual Sunol Glen eighth-grade trip to Washington, D.C. has a few new wrinkles and a way for you to help. The seventh grade has an unusually small enrollment of just ten students, so it was decided that those who wished to could join their eighth-grade schoolmates for the trip. Six seventh-graders are planning to go. Another change this year is that the trip will take place while school is in session, from April 15 to 20, rather than during the spring break. And in addition to parent chaperones, eighth-grade teacher Laura Dennis will accompany the students. Laura's specialty is history, so this group is likely to have a most informative and interesting time.

Traditionally, the seventh grade has the current school year and much of the next to raise the money they need for the Washington journey. Since they'll be going this spring instead of next, their travel fund is quite a bit short, even though they've been working hard at such projects as selling pizza and Taco Bell school lunches, the Christmas tree raffle, tri-tip sales, and a See's candy program. It costs $1,500 per student for this wonderful and educational experience, which includes guided tours of all the major government buildings and monuments.

The parents working on getting the kids to the capitol would like to thank you the community for its past and continued support of the student fundraising for the Washington trip, and are now looking for corporate sponsors and donations by friends of Sunol Glen. This is such a great cause. After the events of September 11, it is more important than ever for our kids to see our leaders working to keep America strong and safe. The stories they will bring back may be educational for all of us.

How about having your company sponsor a student and then having one or more of the travelers come for a visit to share their experiences with your employees? Although such sponsorships would be terrific, any help will be greatly appreciated. Donations can be sent to the school, made out to Class of 2003. For more information, please call Miki Whitfield 510-656-0141.

GET YER RED HOT TICKETS: Sunol Repertory Theatre is now selling tickets for the March production of "Caught in the Villain's Gaze." Stop in at the Sunol Coffee House and Cafe on Main Street in Sunol, have a bite, and pick up some tickets for this hilarious home-grown play, written and directed by our own Tom Harland. The show opens Saturday, March 2 at 8 p.m. and runs Friday and Saturday evenings through March 23. Tickets are $10 each, and, as always, proceeds benefit Sunol Glen School.